Collision Energy Dissipation Device for a Vehicle

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The disclosure relates to energy dissipation devices and more particularly pertains to a new energy dissipation device for dissipating energy imparted from a collision with a vehicle.

The prior art discloses myriad energy dissipation devices which rely on springs, air bladders, or other components which substantially deform to absorb and dissipate energy caused by a collision with a vehicle. However, the prior art fails to describe such a device in which separated components mounted below the vehicle are made to collide in a chain reaction when an impact member mounted to an exterior of the vehicle is impacted with sufficient force such that energy from the impact is dissipated via the several collisions of the chain reaction.

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising an impact member configured to mount to a perimeter of a body of a vehicle, a frame configured to mount to an underside of the body, and a plurality of energy transfer members movably mounted in the frame. The frame has an engagement portion lying adjacent to and extending inwardly from an inner side of the impact member. The energy transfer members are positioned along a path extending along a length of the engagement portion. Adjacent energy transfer members are positioned near enough to each other along the path that the adjacent energy transfer members may be moved to collide with each other.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.

The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

1 FIG. is a top view of an energy dissipation device according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

2 FIG. is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

3 FIG. is a front view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

4 FIG. 1 FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure showing energy transfer members within the portion of the frame circled by Windowin.

5 FIG. 4 FIG. is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure from the same perspective ofin which a frame and the energy transfer members are depicted to collide as part of a chain reaction caused by an impact to an impact member of the embodiment.

1 5 FIGS.through 10 With reference now to the drawings, and in particular tothereof, a new energy dissipation device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeralwill be described.

1 5 FIGS.through 10 26 16 18 20 14 12 36 22 14 46 36 46 28 26 12 As best illustrated in, the energy dissipation devicegenerally comprises a plurality of impact membersconfigured to mount to a perimeter (including a front side, a rear side, and a pair of lateral sides) of a bodyof a vehicle, a frameconfigured to mount to an undersideof the body, and a plurality of energy transfer membersmovably mounted to the framesuch that at least a subset of the energy transfer membersmay be urged to collide in a chain reaction initiated by an impact to an outer sideof one of the impact members. The vehiclemay be an automobile, but may also be a railcar, a tram, a trailer, or the like.

26 31 32 34 31 16 14 16 14 31 16 14 31 14 12 32 18 14 12 18 12 31 32 31 32 14 12 16 18 31 32 12 The plurality of impact membersincludes a front impact member, a rear impact member, and a plurality of lateral impact members. The front impact membermounts to the front sideof the bodyby having a shape which conforms to a shape of the front sideof the body. Interlocking portions of the front impact memberand the front sideof the bodymay thus retain the front impact memberon the bodyof the vehicle. The rear impact membersimilarly mounts to the rear sideof the bodyof the vehicleby having a shape which conforms to a shape of the rear sideof the vehicle. In other embodiments, the front impact memberand the rear impact membermay be attached via weldments, adhesives, magnets, threaded fasteners, or any other suitable fastener. The front impact memberand the rear impact memberalso may be integrally formed with the bodyof the vehicleor with the front sideand the rear siderespectively. The front impact memberand the rear impact membermay have any of a variety of shapes and may have apertures to permit airflow therethrough to a grill of the vehicleor similar.

34 24 24 14 12 20 20 14 34 34 24 34 34 24 34 24 34 34 24 34 20 14 24 Each lateral impact membermounts to an associated doorof a plurality of doorsof the bodyof the vehicle, which are positioned on associated lateral sidesof the pair of lateral sidesof the body, via magnetic attraction. Each lateral impact membercomprises a magnetic material which magnetically attaches the lateral impact memberto a ferromagnetic material of the associated door. The entirety of each lateral impact membermay comprise the magnetic material, or magnets may be embedded or housed in an enclosing structure such as a housing, a casing, or the like. The lateral impact membersmay thus be removed from the associated doorsvia application of a force sufficient to overcome the magnetic attraction between the lateral impact membersand the associated doors. The lateral impact membersmay be removably mounted via latches, threaded fasteners, clamps, or the like in other embodiments. The lateral impact membersalso may be fixedly attached to or integrally formed with the associated doors, such as via weldments, threaded fasteners, molding, or the like. In some embodiments, one or more of the lateral impact membersmay be attached to a wall portion of an associated lateral sideof the bodyrather than one of the doors.

36 38 30 26 26 38 40 42 40 31 32 42 20 14 12 34 34 34 40 36 38 31 38 32 42 36 38 34 The framehas a plurality of engagement portions, each of which lies adjacent to and extends inwardly from an inner sideof an associated impact memberof the plurality of impact members. The engagement portionsform a pair of longitudinal membersand a pair of lateral members. Each longitudinal memberextends from the front impact memberto the rear impact member. Each lateral memberextends between the lateral sidesof the bodyof the vehiclefrom one lateral impact memberto another lateral impact memberpositioned opposite the one lateral impact member. Thus, each longitudinal memberof the frameis defined by an engagement portionwhich lies adjacent to and extends from the front impact memberand another engagement portionwhich lies adjacent to and extends from the rear impact member. Similarly, each lateral memberof the frameis defined by engagement portionswhich lie adjacent to and extend from their associated lateral impact members.

36 14 12 44 21 14 12 42 36 44 14 36 14 12 22 14 The frameattaches to the bodyof the vehiclevia a pair of frame attachment members, each of which extends around an associated lower lateral edgeof the bodyof the vehicleand is coupled to the pair of lateral membersof the frame. The frame attachment membersmay be clamped, welded, latched, or otherwise attached to the body. The framemay, however, attach to the bodyof the vehiclevia any of myriad means, such as weldments to the undersideof the body, threaded fasteners, clamps, magnets, or the like.

36 31 32 38 26 26 28 26 38 38 26 26 26 34 24 The framemay be attached directly to the front impact memberand the rear impact memberbut need not be. The engagement portionsare, however, positioned near the associated impact memberssuch that, when one of the impact membersis impacted on the outer sideof the impact member, energy from the impact propagates through the associated engagement portion. The engagement portionsmay, for example, lie in abutment with the associated impact membersor may be spaced a nominal distance from the associated impact memberswhich is traversed by the associated impact membersupon being impacted as described. With respect to the lateral impact members, the positioning of the associated engagement members such that energy propagates in this manner may only occur when the associated dooris shut.

46 36 38 38 46 46 46 46 46 36 48 36 46 36 The energy transfer membersare mounted in the framealong a plurality of paths. Each path extends along a length of an associated engagement portionof the plurality of engagement portions. The energy transfer membersare positioned such that adjacent energy transfer membersalong each path are in abutment with each other but may be spaced such that adjacent energy transfer membersmay be moved to collide with each other. Each energy transfer memberhas a spherical shape but may have any other suitable shape such as a polygonal prism or an irregular shape. The energy transfer membersare suspended within the framevia pendulum armssuch that they pivotably swing with respect to the frame. However, the energy transfer membersmay be slidably coupled within the frameor otherwise movably coupled via suitable linkages.

10 14 12 28 26 46 38 36 26 36 46 46 38 36 26 46 46 14 12 12 In use, the energy dissipation deviceis mounted to or constructed with the bodyof the vehicle. When a hazard impacts the outer sideof one of the impact memberswith sufficient force, energy from the impact is transferred to the energy transfer membersin the associated engagement portionof the frame. During this process, the impacted impact member, the frame, and the energy transfer membersmay be deformed or fractured such that energy transfers as described. The energy transfer membersof the associated engagement portionof the framethereby collide in a chain reaction of impacts, dissipating at least a portion of the energy which is imparted on the impacted impact memberin the form of kinetic energy applied to the energy transfer membersand thereafter into heat via friction and damping forces which occur with each collision of adjacent energy transfer members. The dissipation of energy lessens damage to the bodyof the vehicleand lessens the energy that would otherwise dissipate through the vehicleto occupants therein.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.